Mind Mapping For Dummies

Step 1: Skimming the text

The first step involves skimming the text. The aim is to get a basic impression and general overview of the book’s structure. When skimming a book you don’t actually read but look at each page for just a couple of seconds.

1. Get an initial impression. Two things happen when you skim: you gain a first impression and get some idea of the difficulty and structure of the book. For example, you find out whether the author includes introductions and summaries, uses illustrations and graphics or focuses mainly on text.

2. Prioritise. This may help you to determine which sections you actually need to read and which ones you can omit or pay less attention to. In the case of textbooks it’s extremely rare that you need to read absolutely everything.